January 15, 2015
But in the end, the governor’s budget is just a proposal and it will be up to the Legislature to negotiate a final plan. In the coming months, Democrats and Republicans will pore over hundreds of pages of line items and hold public hearings under intense lobbying from various interest groups desperately trying to protect […]
January 15, 2015
“It is thus a public service that the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) has issued a report showing that, at the state and local level, government is indeed engaged in redistribution — but it’s redistribution from the poor and the middle class to the wealthy. The institute found that in 2015 the poorest […]
January 15, 2015
“Read it and weep (really). Here’s what a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found: In terms of the overall tax burden (state, local, federal), the top 1 percent don’t even pay that much more as a percentage of their income than do the bottom 20 percent. Think about that for […]
January 14, 2015
“State taxes favor those with the highest incomes. That’s according to a new report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy report, which finds that on average the bottom fifth of earners pay proportionally twice as much of their incomes in state and local taxes as the top 1 percent. Such systems that are […]
January 14, 2015
“When it comes to state taxes, the rule of thumb is often topsy-turvy: The less you earn, the more you pay. That’s the conclusion from a new analysis of local taxes from the nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a nonpartisan research firm that studies tax issues. The organization’s findings won’t do much […]
January 14, 2015
“Rhode Island’s poorest residents can expect to pay nearly twice as much of their income in taxes than the state’s wealthiest 1 percent, according to a new study. That data ranks Rhode Island fifth-worst in the country for taxes on the poor, worse than its ninth-place ranking two years ago, according to a study released […]
January 14, 2015
“Middle- and low-income Americans are facing far higher state and local taxes than the wealthy, according to a new report assessing tax data from all 50 states. In all, the analysis by the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) finds that the poorest 20 percent of households pay on average more than twice […]
January 14, 2015
“When it comes to the taxes closest to home, the less you earn, the harder you’re hit. That is the conclusion of an analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy that evaluates the local tax burden in every state, from Washington, labeled the most regressive, to Delaware, ranked as the fairest of them […]
January 12, 2015
And at a time when concerns about inequality have heightened criticism of government policies that favor the wealthiest sliver of society, these tax breaks have come under sharper scrutiny. “I think these types of deals do not follow the intent, even if they follow the letter, of the law,” said Rebecca Wilkins, senior counsel on […]
January 12, 2015
Further, due to reliance on a relatively high sales tax, Washington has ranked as the most regressive state tax system in the nation, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that advocates for progressive tax policies. The poorest 20 percent of state residents pay nearly 17 percent of […]
January 9, 2015
While the states have sometimes been slow to react on this issue, at least lawmakers seem to be beginning to understand the reasons for gas tax reform, said Matthew Gardner, executive director of the non-profit, non-partisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). Gas tax reform was something that many lawmakers weren’t willing to talk […]
January 9, 2015
“There aren’t many products where every time you go for a drive you see the price thrown at you a dozen times before you get to your destination,” said Carl Davis, a senior policy analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit research group in Washington. “Gasoline is something people buy frequently. […]
January 9, 2015
It adds up to the fourth-most regressive tax code in the nation, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. In thundering against the status quo, Rauner has raised expectations in a state that has traditionally seen tax hikes and overhauls when Republicans occupy the governor’s […]
January 5, 2015
Drivers in five states could see gasoline prices rise with gas tax increases, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a tax watchdog group. The biggest increase is in Pennsylvania, 9.8 cents, followed by Virginia, 5.1 cents; Maryland, 2.9 cents; North Carolina, 1 cent; and Florida, 0.3 cents. New York, Nebraska, Vermont, West […]
January 5, 2015
Questions about who has really benefited from Texas fiscal policies will be heard more often, and the answers will be ugly. As the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy observes, Texas has one of the most regressive tax systems in the land: its poorest 20% pay about four times as much of their average income […]
January 5, 2015
he Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has proposed the most logical and realistic analysis of and recommendation on this tax issue. The full report should be reviewed by everyone, but especially by our legislators. Here are the first few paragraphs from this very comprehensive report: “The gas tax is the single most important source […]
January 5, 2015
Meg Wiehe, state tax policy director at the liberal-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said it’s also necessary for Alaska to consider some sort of new tax revenue as a long-term solution. The state is “really kicking the can down the road,” she said. “I just think [Alaska’s plan] is fiscally very short-sighted because […]
January 5, 2015
According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, drivers in four other states could potentially see a similar motor-fuel tax increase to benefit state transportation. However, in light of the recent drop in gas prices, local motorists are not as concerned about the uptick. Read more
December 22, 2014
According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the tax breaks would equal out to $9 for those who make between $19,500 and $36,400. It would also give $30 back to individuals making between $36,400 and $58,100. An additional $81 would go in the pockets of those who make between $58,100 and $97,700. Read […]
December 22, 2014
Federal money is drying up, as the national gas tax has remained at 18.4 cents per gallon. And more fuel-sipping cars on the road mean Americans are buying less gas to tax. Thus the urgency. “When we see pretty fiscally conservative governors in states like New Jersey and Wisconsin either openly talking about gas tax […]
December 22, 2014
Generally speaking, regressive taxes make income inequality greater, progressive taxes reduce it, and neutral taxes have no effect. The organization that has done the most extensive analysis of how state taxes redistribute income upward or downward is the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more
December 19, 2014
“It gives a broad indication of which companies are engaging in risky tax behavior,” says Matthew Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that produces widely used federal and state tax models and supports progressive tax policies. Read more
December 16, 2014
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said the bottom 20 percent of Kansas taxpayers saw their tax burden increase while the wealthiest Kansans saw their taxes decrease. With special-interest PAC money pouring into Kansas state government races, the Legislature doubled down, proposing another round of tax cuts that would eliminate income taxes and maintain […]
December 16, 2014
Some lotteries have limits on the amount of money they spend on advertising their games as a way of discouraging compulsive gambling. Lawmakers in North Carolina, though, recently tried and failed to double the amount of money the state could spend on marketing its game, said Meg Wiehe of the Institution on Taxation and Economic […]
December 15, 2014
Carl Davis, senior analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy told The Huffington Post that legalizing marijuana would bring a positive effect for the U.S. in terms of revenue. Read more
Members of the media rely on ITEP for analysis and insight about how tax policies affect people. If you’re a reporter looking to talk to one of our experts, contact Jon Whiten at jon@itep.org.